Louise Erdrich's first major work of nonfiction, The Blue Jay's Dance, brilliantly and poignantly examines the joys and frustrations, the compromises and the insights, and the difficult struggles and profound emotional satisfactions the acclaimed author experienced in the course of one twelve–month period—from a winter pregnancy through a spring and summer of new motherhood to her return to writing in the fall. In exquisitely lyrical prose, Erdrich illuminates afresh the large and small events that every parent will recognize and appreciate.

Review&colon;

Mothers often cling to single moments, small gestures, and specific memories in order to grasp all that happens in the first blurry year of a baby's life. In The Blue Jay's Dance, writer Louise Erdrich has assembled a photo album of snapshots such as these: the days and images that collectively define the passion, ambivalence, yearnings, and satisfactions of carrying, birthing, and nurturing a baby. "Any sublime effort has its dark moments," says Erdrich, referring to a rather bleak snapshot of mother isolation. "Perhaps, if anything, the meaning in this book for others may be this: Here is a job in which it is not unusual to be, at the same instant, wildly joyous and profoundly stressed." The Blue Jay's Dance is a fresh and masterful book that avoids all the sticky clichés while still managing to articulate the depths of mother-baby love.

About the Author&colon;

Louise Erdrich lives with her family in Minnesota and is the owner of Birchbark Books, an independent bookstore. Ms. Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and this story—which will, in the end, span one hundred years in the life of an Ojibwe woman—was inspired when Ms. Erdrich and her mother, Rita Gourneau Erdrich, were researching their own family history. Chickadee begins a new part of the story that started with The Birchbark House, a National Book Award finalist; The Game of Silence, winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction; and the acclaimed The Porcupine Year.

Ms. Erdrich is also the bestselling author of many critically acclaimed novels for adults, including the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Plague of Doves and National Book Award finalist The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse. She is also the author of the picture book Grandmother's Pigeon, illustrated by Jim LaMarche.

Book Description:Harper Perennial, 2010. Book Condition: New. Brand New, Unread Copy in Perfect Condition. A+ Customer Service! Summary: Louise Erdrich's first major work of nonfiction, The Blue Jay's Dance, brilliantly and poignantly examines the joys and frustrations, the compromises and the insights, and the difficult struggles and profound emotional satisfactions the acclaimed author experienced in the course of one twelve-month period--from a winter pregnancy through a spring and summer of new motherhood to her return to writing in the fall. In exquisitely lyrical prose, Erdrich illuminates afresh the large and small events that every parent will recognize and appreciate. Bookseller Inventory # ABE_book_new_0061767972

Book Description:HarperCollins Publishers Inc, United States, 2010. Paperback. Book Condition: New. Reprint. 202 x 134 mm. Language: English Brand New Book. Intimate, honest and generous meditations on the delicate balance of mothering a baby and maintaining an artistic life, from the celebrated novelist and poet. Observant, tender and honest. --New York Times Book Review. Bookseller Inventory # AAC9780061767975

Book Description:Harper Perennial. PAPERBACK. Book Condition: New. 0061767972 The author reviews the large and small events--and the joys, frustrations, compromises, insights, and emotional satisfactions--that informed her pregnancy, her first year as a new mother, and her return to writing. Bookseller Inventory # 4694253

Book Description:HarperCollins Publishers Inc, United States, 2010. Paperback. Book Condition: New. Reprint. 202 x 134 mm. Language: English Brand New Book. Intimate, honest and generous meditations on the delicate balance of mothering a baby and maintaining an artistic life, from the celebrated novelist and poet. Observant, tender and honest. --New York Times Book Review. Bookseller Inventory # AAC9780061767975

Book Description:Paperback. Book Condition: New. 132mm x 18mm x 201mm. Paperback. Louise Erdrich's first major work of nonfiction, The Blue Jay's Dance, brilliantly and poignantly examines the joys and frustrations, the compromises and the insights, and the di.Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. 223 pages. 0.204. Bookseller Inventory # 9780061767975